Youth Referees

Youth Referee Program

We have many talented players in our region who are also referees. Our region allows youths between the ages of 12 to 18 to become referees.

It is our goal to provide our youth referees with opportunities to increase their skills as a referee and to acknowledge them for their contributions to our region. We provide skill advancement with Youth Referee Mentoring Games and Game of the Day with lunch. We appreciate our referees with an progressive incentive program.

Youth Referee Mentoring Games:

This fall season we will hold numberous Youth Referee Mentoring games. This program is for youth referees to be active in the game as the referee in the center or as an assistant referee with a mentor directly working with them. Thank you to the 8 Referee Mentors who helped with this program.

Game of the Day with Lunch:

We invite our youth referees to join a senior referee staff member to narrate the referee team’s actions on a high level game. We will also provide lunch for our youth referees. The date will determined during pool play and we will post the time later.

End of the Season Youth Referee Party: We will hold an end of the year party for the Youth Referees, adult mentors and our referee staff. We will have lots of food, dessert and prizes. Date and location to be posted soon.

Supporting our Youth as Referees (Zero Tolerance)

It is important to remember that when a youth is refereeing a soccer match, he or she is an integral part of the official referee staff of our region. These youth represent future resources for AYSO and the greater community, and it is up to us - parents, coaches and fellow referees - to encourage, nurture and support them. We must give them the patience and positive reinforcement that is the cornerstone of AYSO. Every coach, player, and parent must keep in mind that the young referees working out there are our kids, and that we owe them the same, if not more, patience and respect than we give the players. And if you're a coach in a game where one of your spectators is being disruptive or challenging the youth referee's authority, you need to immediately intervene. Coaches, remember that the first line of responsibility for dealing with spectators rests with you.